Darkness was falling over Death Mountain. This imposing volcano loomed over Hyrule, overlooking the fields, Kakariko, the Zora's Domain, and the castle itself. From its peak, one could survey most of the land, if they could survive the treacherous trek up the winding path that led up the mountain.
The mountain was laced with caverns, pits, and tunnels. An entire city lay in such cave, home to the rock-skinned Gorons. In another, deep within the fiery core of the summit, was the Fire Temple. These were among the most well-known, but dozens more dotted Hyrule's largest, most dangerous peak.
Deep inside one such cavern, far from the light of day, dwelled a wizard. Sitting on his throne, a chair made of rigid angles and unforgiving surfaces, the wizard tapped his forefingers together in boredom. His ice blue eyes peered down over those impatient fingers, looking at the figure kneeling at the base of the stairs leading up to the throne. The wizard breathed out in a sigh of irritation and edginess, the air gusting over his thick white mustache. Growing tired of his lackey's flattering speech, he stroked his long beard, trying to restrain from lashing out at the creature below him.
"And, ssso, massster, I mussst requessst more weaponsss. The Goronsss, they grow wary. Our raidsss are netting lesss and lesss each time." The lizard's tongue flicked out as it looked up at the wizard, its small eyes glinting in the torchlight.
Icarnos sighed. "I see. Are you certain you are phrasing that right?"
The monster at the foot of the stairs swallowed loudly. "What…what do you mean, massster?"
Icarnos' blue eyes shined coldly as he stood, staring down his eyes at the beast that had come to serve him. The monster was a bipedal lizard, vaguely human in shape. Its entire body was coated with dark green scales. Lighter-colored scales covered its front from throat to the end of its twitching tail, but most of these were covered in the platemail armor Icarnos had given it. A white frill decorated the beast's head, and a tarnished crown was carefully placed amongst it. A long, jagged sword hung at the monster's side, darkly stained from use.
"What I mean is that you are being far too generous to yourself." His voice held a cold fury like a blizzard, but it was an inferno beside those eyes. "Your incompetence has seen many of your followers dead at the hands of the Gorons, lost along with much of the equipment I donated to you." Icarnos' voice left no question as to which of those losses he regretted most. "And what rewards? What have your sloppy raids brought us, brought me in return for my plentiful gifts? Nothing!" The word lashed at the lizard like a whip. "Do not forget who placed that crown upon your head, King Dinolfos. I reward those who serve me well. I eradicate the weak and incompetent! Choose well which you will be!"
"Yesss massster, forgive me massster, I will not fail you again! Pleassse give me a sssecond chance!"
Icarnos turned his back on the creature. He cared little either way for the beast or its petty raids. In fact, the entire reason he had supplied the monster and paved its path to power was as a test. The boy would undoubtedly come to aid his friends, the Gorons, if he heard they were being assaulted by monsters like the Dinolfos. He still needed to gauge the boy's strength before he made his move, before he struck.
But would he hear of the Goron's plight? According to Seron, the son of Baro had left Kakariko that morning, for destinations unknown. The only intelligence the young apprentice had given him was that the boy had not headed up the trail leading to Goron City. But where, then?
It was impossible to guess. The boy could have gone anywhere on Hyrule in his pointless search of wealth. There was no way to reach him now. Icarnos trembled with rage, and below him the monster's pleas doubled as he saw Icarnos' fury build. He had read the boy wrong! He had been certain he would choose to go to the Gorons, but instead, he had vanished!
A smile flitted across the aged man's face. It did not matter. His hand already stretched across Hyrule. Anywhere the boy turned, his agents would be there. Everywhere, except… he frowned, but within a moment the expression was gone. Yes…that would work…
"King Dinolfos. I have decided to give you one, final chance at redeeming yourself."
"Thank you massster! I will not dissssapoint you, massster! I-"
"How right you are." Icarnos spun, facing the monster. "Perhaps if the Gorons are too difficult, a softer prey is in order? I am quite certain in their joy over Ganon's defeat the villagers of Kakariko have let their defenses slip. Now, isn't that just asking someone to take them by surprise?"
A predatory gleam crossed the lizard's eyes. "It will be done, immediately."
"Very well then." Moments later, after its flourishing bows and farewells, the beast exited Icarnos' chambers. As it left, the wizard smiled at its back. Yes, now it was done. They didn't stand a chance against him, the greatest wizard Hyrule had ever known. No one could stand against him.
Not even Wynn, son of Baro.
******
"Someone explain to me again why I have to carry all of the wood for the fire?"
"Because, you're the one with all the muscles. And Wynn's hurt. So stop whining!"
Tane raised a dubious eyebrow at his partner, who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Fami knelt beside him, pushing his hand away, looking at the 'wound'.
"Really, its nothing. One of those kids-"
"Kokiri," Fami interrupted, looking around for something to clean the blood out of Wynn's hair.
"- beaned me with a rock, that's all. I'm fine. I can carry too." Wynn started to stand, heading for the safety of Tane's side, but Fami caught his shoulder.
"Sit."
Wynn sat back down, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Tane smirked at the man as he dumped his load of firewood on the ground near the small fire that they hoped to keep burning through the night. "She's got you whipped already." Wynn's glare at the man promised cold vengeance.
"Really, I don't see what the big deal is," Fami said, pouring water on a rag she had fished out of her satchel. "You're hurt, and the sooner you see to it, the sooner you don't have to worry about it." She dabbed at the cut on Wynn's head, eliciting a wince from the hero. "My powers do encompass healing, but they would be overkill on something small like this."
"And tell, again, why I have to walk all the way over there to get the wood?" Tane squatted beside the pair, resting his tired muscles.
Fami sighed, bringing his hands down to her lap in exasperation. "Do you see any wood around here? And do you really want to camp near the forest? A ferocious Kokiri might get poor widdle Tane in his sleep!"
Tane shook his head. "You miss my point, not that that surprises me. You can do the plant thing. Why don't you make another tree pop out at our feet? It'd save me a lot of trouble."
"Like I care? Anyways, I refuse to waste plants that are still alive to keep you warm." She paused, looking aside. "Anyways, my powers are weaker during the night."
The burlier man looked at Wynn. "And why, exactly, is she useful now?"
"Right about now, both of you are just getting on my nerves, so now is not the time to ask that." The man winced as Fami dabbed more fiercely. "Ouch! That hurt!"
"I'm sorry," she said rather coolly. "You distracted me."
Wynn slumped, resigning himself to Fami's ministration's as Tane walked away into the dark, chuckling. The girl looked up at the back of the receding mercenary, watching him pass out of earshot, before clearing her throat softly. "So, Wynn, where are you from?" she asked casually, still examining the already perfectly tended wound.
"Ah… I lived on a farm north of here, on the foothills of Death Mountain. Basically, out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest bit of civilization was the Zora's Domain, and I've never been there. The Zora's aren't the most hospitable bunch. No one lived within an evening's walk of us…well, when I was a kid, another family lived nearby…but they all died in a bandit raid."
Fami nodded slowly. "I see…you haven't really had anyone to talk to either…"
Wynn nodded hesitantly. "I…I had my parents. But I couldn't really talk to them. Mom was…well, Mom. And she died a few years back. And Baro…"
"You always say 'had'. Did something happen?"
"…" Silence fell over the pair for several moments.
"I…see. I'm sorry for asking."
Wynn shook his head slowly. "A few days ago, bandits came to our farm. Baro had sent me out that morning. When I came back…"
"Well, aren't you two chatty? Glad to see you're getting along so well."
Fami gave Tane a frown. "I'm sorry, but do you mind? I was always taught that interrupting a conversation was rude, but I suppose the wolves that raised you probably weren't skilled in social matters."
The smile Tane gave her as he dumped the load of wood he had toted over from the forest and bowed grandly was indeed wolfish. "I beg pardon, m'lady. My social graces aren't quite as demanded as yours must have been, what with all the grand balls and such out in the middle of the woods."
"Funny. Go away."
"As my lady wishes."
"Where were we again, Wynn?" Fami asked as Tane again marched off. She frowned at his shrug, and decided on a new line of questioning. "So, what brought you all the way out to these forests? Tane seemed to think my father's letter spoke of treasure, but you don't seem the type to be that interested in just rupees. Why, then?"
Wynn chuckled, thinking about his meeting with Tane that morning. "You'd normally be right. I just have need…for five hundred rupees."
Fami whistled softly. "That's a lot of rupees. Why so many?"
"A man in Kakariko has sources within the bandit groups around here. He can bring me information about my father's murderers, but his price is steep."
"What kind of person is he? Going about with bandits, extorting people in need…he sounds like a really shady character."
Wynn nodded. "Shady indeed…he seemed so familiar…"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, nothing."
"So, we're looking for somewhere to find treasure, right? Any idea of our destination?"
Wynn shook his head. "I have no clue. We never really thought about anywhere past the Lost Woods. I'm hoping Tane will have something else in that little bag of tricks he has." Wynn squinted, peering through the darkness. "Hey, Tane!" he shouted. "Where to next?"
Tane emerged from the shadows, another heavy load of wood on his shoulder. "That should do it. What were you saying? Ah, yeah. That's a tough one." He dropped the wood on the ground. Dusting his hands off, he squatted down, scratching his head as he thought. "Hmm. Well, I haven't got much else in the way of treasure maps. Well, there are a few, but after that last one, I'm not taking my chances." He motioned to Fami with a jerk of his head. "But…I've got an old associate of mine that still owes me a couple hundred. I'd be willing to loan them to you, for a better share of the next treasure we find."
Wynn grimaced. "Two hundred isn't enough…but it's a start. Where can we find this guy?"
Tane sighed. "Zaruu is in Zora's Domain by now…I hope. He was part of a training group of Zoras that weren't in the Domain when whatever froze the place hit. The rest of his team returned immediately, but he had a dispute with his commander, and worked a few missions as a mercenary. I just happened to work with him, out near Gerudo Valley." Tane winced as he considered that. "Last I heard of him, he was going to head back to the Domain, now that the place is thawing."
"Great. I kinda doubt that the Zora's are going to welcome us with open arms. They've never been friendly with anyone who isn't a messenger from King Harkinian."
Tane shrugged. "Hey, you never know, right?" He stood, walking towards his pack. "Now, to find something to eat. I'm famished-"
"Uh, Tane, I don't think that's enough firewood."
The red-haired man raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? That's nearly enough for a bonfire."
"It's just not enough, O.K.?"
"I really rather think I know more about setting up camp than you,
alright? You want more wood, you march out there and get it."
"Tane, please."
The mercenary froze. "You do know that word! I'm amazed! …Very well then, sure. I'll do it."
Wynn watched in confusion as his partner walked back out into the darkness. "What was that all about?"
Fami didn't respond as she came around to sit next to Wynn. "You…you never finished telling me about your father."
"…Right. Well, I didn't get there in time. The bandits torched the place. One of them knocked me out, and when I woke up, the house was torched to the ground and there was no sign of Baro. I didn't even get to bury him."
"But you didn't actually see him afterwards, did you? You don't know he is dead, right?"
"I don't even dare hope otherwise. There were just too many…"
"Don't give up hope, Wynn." The man turned to see Fami leaning close to him, very close. The light from the fire danced in her eyes, and Wynn swallowed nervously as she smiled brightly. "We'll find him! I just know it!" She slipped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. "Just have faith."
Wynn cautiously returned the hug. "I…I hope you are right Fami."
She moved away from him, that same haunting light in her eyes, the same gentle joy in her smile. "I have faith in you." She stood, waving a finger down at him. "No, its time you went to sleep. You'll need all the rest you can get for tomorrow."
"So will you."
"Yes, but I think a little time in the starlight would do me just as much good as sleep. You, however…"
The hero raised his hands, fending off her onslaught.
"I know, I know. I'm going. Don't stay up too late."
She watched him as he walked over to his spot on the ground. "I won't."
She watched him while he lay down, covering himself with his blanket. She was
still watching moments later when he finally drifted into sleep.
"Was that long enough for you?"
Fami looked away, to see Tane standing at the edge of the fire's light. "Where's the firewood?"
"You didn't want firewood, you wanted privacy. I just took a little walk."
Fami considered him before nodding. "You're more
observant than I thought."
"Why, thank you. Now, start explaining. What's with all the hush-hush
talking with my partner?"
"That is none of your business, thank you oh so much."
"Its about my partner. It is my business."
"Your partner for how long?"
"One day. Not that it matters. He watches my back, and I make sure nothing bad happens to him in turn. Take now for example."
"And you think I'm going to do something bad to him?"
"I've lived long enough to know not to trust people I've just met. And the ones I've known for years. Mercenary's creed, you know. 'Don't trust anybody.'"
"You trust him, though."
"Yeah, but he's…different." Tane looked over at the sleeping figure of the man he had known just a day. "Something about him seems…seems trustworthy. Honest."
Fami smiled at that. "Tell me…about him. Anything."
Tane chuckled. "Don't know much. I know he's got something big hanging on him, something recent. He's not running from something…more like running after it. And he's got a lot of rage. He keeps it in…but I can tell."
"Yeah…and at the same time, he seems somehow…sad. And afraid."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But it's not in our hands." Tane looked up, into the night sky. "I figure, if I stay around him enough, I'll find out what's eating at him. Whatever it is, from what I can tell about him, even if its too big for him to handle, he'll fight it anyways. He won't ask for help. Maybe…maybe I'll be around so he won't have to ask, eh?"
"You know a lot for him to be someone you've just known a day."
"Hey, sometimes you just know people." Tane shrugged rising to his feet. "I'm tired. Time to sleep. I'd suggest you do the same. I sure ain't carrying you up Zora's River."
"Soon. Sleep well, Tane."
"Yeah. You too."
Fami sat there for a long time, as the moon rose high into the sky, basking in the wind and the moonlight. She listened to the whispering breezes, she watched the stars, and she thought of the past and the future. Finally, resigning herself to sleep, she stood, walking to her blanket. On her way, she passed Wynn. She stopped as she saw him shake, fighting in his sleep, whispering a desperate something. She knelt by his side, watching his troubled expression before touching his face, smoothing the hair away from his eyes. "Sleep, Wynn." The man's stirring calmed, but she knew somehow that it wasn't gone, that it lie just below the surface.
"Tane's right, you know. You wouldn't ask for help, even if you needed it. But maybe, when you do need help…maybe I'll be there, too."
******
"Boy, I need you to go down to the river cliff. I left some bottles of ink and parchment wrapped in a bag down there the last time I went to town for supplies. I want you to get them."
Wynn nodded to his father's request. "Yes, sir. I'll go right now."
"I would hope so," Baro said gruffly, his breath gusting out his thick mustache. "I don't have time for you to lay about, boy."
Wynn nodded, not meeting his father's eyes. He didn't really have a say in the matter, so he might as well go now. "Where exactly are they?"
"You have eyes, don't you, boy?"
Wynn nodded, turning away so his father wouldn't see his fists clench. "Yes, sir."
Behind Wynn's back, Baro smiled at the hard edge in his son's voice. "Take this with you. You might need it."
Wynn turned to see his father removing the sword from his waist. Wynn looked up from it to his father, confused. "But, I don't need it. There isn't much in the way of monsters around here, and we haven't seen a bandit in years. The only thing I ever see around are Tektites, and a good whack with a stick will take care of those."
Wynn grunted as his father drove the hilt of the sword into his gut as the man held it out. "Take it, I said. It's time I gave it up, anyways. Swords were never my style anyways."
Wynn stared at the sword dumbly, as shocked by the offer as by the explanation his father had given him. The older man had carried this sword for as long as Wynn could remember. And, just recently, his father had spent hours working on affixing the white jewel he had always worn around his neck to the pommel. That jewel glinted dully now as Wynn stared down at it.
"Take it."
Wynn reached out woodenly, slipping his fingers around the hilt slowly. His grip fit perfectly, as if the hand had been made to fit the sword. Wynn blinked, then yelped as a brilliant white light erupted from the jewel at the end of the sword. He stared in wonder at the jewel as it dimmed, the light slowly fading. Even when the light was gone, it seemed like the stone still shined more brightly than before.
"So. You really have chosen another. You chose him the day Krite died, didn't you? I figured as much. You're his now…if you were ever mine to give. And so, the greatest weapon Hyrule has ever seen is finally complete."
Wynn looked up at his father. Only a few times in his life had he seen Baro smile, and nearly none of those had been directed at him. Now, the man was beaming.
"What…what are you talking about?"
"No time for questions, boy. It's time for you to leave. The storm is coming." The smile was gone now.
"Storm? What storm? The sky is as clear as-"
"No matter! Go!"
Wynn went, not looking back to see his father watching him leave. He walked down the path towards the river, past the overgrown field where Solan's family had once lived, down towards the cliffs that overlooked the river leading from Zora's Domain. He stopped, looking down on the rushing waters. Things seemed so different now. Always, before, his life had been stable: train, eat, sleep, wake, train some more. Things had changed before, when his mother died and when the bandits murdered Solan's family, but never before had life felt like this.
His father had always been unmovable, unchangeable, the one thing in Wynn's life he could depend on to be the same when he woke up as when he had fallen asleep. But now, for several days, he had seemed different…anxious, somehow. He had doubled Wynn's time training with the sword, but he never seemed focused. He seemed distracted, and had ever since that strange young man dressed in blue with his face nearly completely covered had visited their home. He spent his days lost in thought, and his nights frantically working on the sword. He was waiting for something. Something he was…Wynn would never use the word 'afraid' to refer to his father, but 'nervous' worked…something he was nervous because of. And anything that could do that to his father…Wynn shuddered.
But he didn't have time to worry about that now. His father would expect those supplies as soon as he could get them, and that meant Wynn couldn't waste time. With that, he set out on his search for the ink and parchments…a search that took several hours. He looked everywhere on that cliff, to no avail. Still, he refused to return empty-handed, and kept looking. Finally, he found them, hidden under some bushes a distance from the cliff.
It was midday as Wynn began the trek back to his home. He regarded the sky solemnly, seeing the sun had risen high into the sky and begun its descent while he was looking for the elusive supplies. He blinked as he looked west, in the direction of Kakariko and the abandoned Hyrule Marketplace. "What do you know? He was right. A storm is coming in."
Smoke rose above the trees, almost blending in with the dark clouds that had shrouded the sky that day. Wynn glanced up at the smoke quizzically, not understanding its source. He dropped the supplies he had been sent to gather, moving forward in a jog. The day was warm, so there would be no real need for a fire for warmth. It could be a cooking fire, but it seemed larger, more spread out than it should. Something was wrong…
******
As light began to shine over Hyrule Field, a dark man stood at the gates of Lon Lon Ranch. It was a beautiful morning, with the morning sky bathed in oranges and purples. The birds chimed out the day's new beginning, and a gentle breeze blew softly over the field, waving the grasses. But the man did not notice. His mind was on darker things.
"Does he really think they'll fall for this flimsy excuse for a story?" Seron huffed, pulling the cowl of his cloak off his head. "The senile old fool thinks no one is half as intelligent as he is. Its not him that has to stroll into most likely hostile territory and ask for a man that we're not certain is dangerous or not yet." Shaking his head, he looked up at the walls of Lon Lon. "Dangerous to him, anyways."
The ranch loomed over Seron as he made his way inside. The farm was famous for its horses, its fame even reaching the distant Gerudo thieves, and to keep safe the horses that brought it that recognition, immense walls had long ago been built around the entire ranch. The place was as well-defended as a fortress, as far as walls went, anyways. As far as manpower…well, Seron mused, the old man was right about some things, but this was pretty far-fetched. According to what the old wizard had told him, only three people lived here: the rancher, his young daughter, and the stable hand. It just didn't seem enough people to run the place, to Seron's mind, but then again he wasn't exactly experienced in the running of a ranch. Quite frankly, the sooner he could get out of this place, the better, he decided as he carefully stepped over a pile of horse manure.
He came to the farmhouse, a two-story building pressed against the outer wall of the ranch, opposite the stables. Seron could hear movement inside both buildings, but chose with a sneering glance to check the house first. He knocked warily at the door, listening for a response.
"Just a moment," drawled a female voice from the other side of the door. Seron perked at the sound of that voice, subconsciously straightening his cloak. Icarnos had said young, but most of the population of Hyrule was young compared to him! The voice had sounded pleasantly close to one belonging to a girl his age. Interesting.
The door opened, and Seron found himself looking into a pair of brilliantly blue eyes. Seron smirked slightly as he studied the girl. His estimate of the voice had been correct; she was right around his age. Startlingly bright red hair framed those amazing eyes, and delicately angled features drew in as she frowned at him curiously. "May I help you?"
Seron composed himself; he had business here. "Why, yes, ma'am, you can." He sketched a bow, sweeping his cloak out. "I happen to be looking for a friend of mine, and was told he may have stopped here.
The confusion grew in her eyes as the girl stepped back from the door. "Well, no one has come by recently, but if you'll come in, we can talk about it. I'll talk your cloak, Mister…?"
"Seron. Just Seron." He swept the cloak off his shoulders and handed it to the girl as he stepped inside, surveying the inside of the ranch house. The room he was in was the kitchen area, with a table sitting in the center of the room with three chairs pulled up to it. Already, the top of the table was carefully arranged with dishes and silverware, though no one sat in the chairs and the food was still cooking. Seron's stomach growled mercilessly as he caught a whiff of the bacon frying across the room.
"My, my. You sound hungry. Would you like to stay for breakfast, Seron?"
Icarnos could wait. He was hungry, and that was more important.
"Why, yes. I would be delighted, more than delighted."
"Just have you a seat and I'll call father and Ingo in."
Seron sat, pulling a chair away from the table and scooting close to it after he was sitting. The aromas from the stove across the room teased him, and his stomach roared more insistently this time. He idly drummed his fingers on the table, impatient and eyeing the crackling bacon with eyes like a starving wolf.
The door opened, and two boisterously chattering men entered, laughing over some trivial story, most likely. Seron looked back at them. His eyes widened as he examined them. One man was narrow and lanky, with his lined face decorated with an absurd mustache. The other was similar enough to him to mistake the pair for brothers, save one detail. While the first, the stable hand from his clothes, was skinny, the other man was burly, with arms that seemed to Seron ready to drag the ground as the man walked. His girth wasn't all muscle, Seron guessed…but enough of it was.
"Well, now! Who do we have here?" boomed that man, falling into a protesting chair. He nodded jovially at Seron, as did the other man, who took his seat as well.
The girl took the responsibility of introducing him. "Seron here says he's looking for a friend of his. He says he heard he might have stopped by here."
"Is that so? What's his name, son?"
Seron subconsciously held his breath as he gave his answer. "Wynn. I'm looking for a man named Wynn."
The table went silent for a moment. Seron's grin slipped as he began to sweat. 'Oh great. Wynn came here, and he told them about me trying to con a fortune out of him. They're going to remember that, and they're going to attack me. Icarnos just sent me to my death.' The smile slipped farther. 'Porky can't make it around the table in time to catch me, and the girl can't run in that dress, but the skinny guy might catch me. If I make it out of here, I can hide in the field. They can't catch me if I get outside. Wait…they have horses…oh, this is bad.'
"Wynn, you say? No, haven't seen him in quite some time," the thicker man said. "Haven't seen him in a few years, have we, Malon?"
The girl smiled fondly. "No, no, it's been quite a while since him and Baro paid us a visit. How is he? I've missed having him around."
"Oh, he's just great," Seron said, breathing an internal sigh of relief. "I haven't ever seen him any better, actually." Or worse, for that matter, he mentally added.
All three beamed at those words. "That's wonderful!" Malon said, setting the food on the table.
"Indeed it is," Seron said, eyes riveted on the food.
Moments passed as the four began taking their share of the food, passing the bowls around and helping themselves to generous portions, some more than others. Seron tore in voraciously, hardly shying from seconds when a bowl passed too close to him.
"Well, now! Looks like they don't feed you much at wherever you're from," the larger man chuckled, looking up from his own hefty plate.
"Isn't that the truth," Seron grumbled darkly, before digging into his food with even more intensity than before.
Breakfast at Lon Lon Ranch took even longer than normal, as the trio of inhabitants waited patiently for Seron to sop his last bit of gravy and search for another piece of bacon. When he was finally done, nursing an overfull stomach and a glass of cold milk, Malon went about gathering the dishes as the pair of men started asking questions. "So, Seron, what brings you searching for young Wynn? He's not in any trouble, is he?" the ranch owner asked.
"No, not that I know of," Seron responded, his fake smile growing weary. 'Let's see…a psychotic wizard hunting for him while he apparently goes off into the wild blue yonder in search of rupees to pay the one man in the world who has a whole list of reasons to want him dead…no trouble there.'
"That's good…Wynn's always been a good kid. I remember all the times him and his dad came to visit the ranch here…but that was before Ganondorf…"
"Heh…I remember his trouble with the ponies, that's what I remember. Do you remember the look on his face when that one took off with him on it, Talon?" the ranch hand guffawed, slapping his knee.
Both men laughed. Seron gave serious consideration to taking a nap while the pair reminisced.
"But enough of that, I'm sure you're tired of listening to us jabber. Where're you from, Seron? What brings you looking for Wynn?"
Seron subconsciously adjusted his collar. 'Reminisce all you want!' "Ah…I'm from…Kakariko, yes."
Malon looked at him from across the room. "Did you just move to Kakariko? My friend, a healer that lives there, sends me letters, and I'm quite certain she would have mentioned you. She's always talking about things like that when she writes me."
"Ah…yes…that is…"
"Ah, you know how those girls like to gossip. Whereabout are you from originally, then? I'm pretty familiar with most of the families around here, delivering milk and all. If you tell me your father's name, I'm sure I can place you."
Seron twitched at the mention on his father, fingers digging into the arms of his chair. He shook his head minutely, struggling for control.
"Are you alright, lad? Malon, get-"
'I'm alright, don't worry," Seron drawled, standing smoothly from his chair, giving the trio a bright smile. "But, I'm afraid I must ask that you excuse me. My time runs short, and I have a long way yet before I can rest again." He bowed elegantly to Malon. "My thanks for the delicious meal; I'll be wishing for one like it for long yet. And, my thanks for your hospitality. Farewell, all." A moment later, after fumbling to pull his cloak from the wall, Seron was gone.
The inhabitants of Lon Lon Ranch blinked slowly as they looked at the opened door Seron had exited from.
"What a strange young man…" Malon mumbled.
"Well! What got the wind behind his back?" Ingo exclaimed, scratching his head.
Seron burst into Hyrule Field, walking as quickly from the ranch as he could without running. His smile was locked on his face, but did not reach his eyes; they were cold and opened slightly too wide. He knew something was wrong, something those people had said had made him feel this…cold, but he couldn't figure out what it was. His mind was racing too quickly for him to latch on to any one thought as he moved towards Kakariko, and beyond it Death Mountain and his master.
'Seron…avenge me!'
Seron laughed as he walked. He didn't know what was wrong, but he didn't care any more. The solution had suddenly come to him, he understood now. He only had to do one thing to make everything right.
He had to kill Wynn, son of Baro.
******
"Well, well….what do we have here?"
A cloaked figure watched Seron as he walked away from the ranch. The man shook his head in amusement as he watched the apprentice racing towards the town and safety. He gripped his staff tightly, his hand trembling slightly. Another person, likewise concealed from the light, stood silently behind the man.
"Run, my friend. The day is not for you, is not safe for anyone with your powers. That wizard that controls you should have taught you that long before now. Of course, were I not so generous I might be more doubting of Icarnos' competence, but he is not the matter in question, is he?"
The silent figure moved up beside the man, fingering twin daggers as his dark eyes, the only thing visible under the cowl of his cloak, stared intensely at the retreating apprentice. The head inclined slightly toward the other, but the man did not acknowledge the unspoken question, or even the presence of his companion.
The man holding the staff frowned slightly. His left hand tightened even more on his weapon as he felt the air heat up around him. He raised his right hand, and watched a flickering flame burst to life and dance over his leather gauntlet, the red jewel set over the back of the palm glowing with a faint light.
"I wonder…would I be better served to wipe you out now? Would it be wrong to begin my vengeance with you, before you grow too powerful? Would it be safer to kill you now, while I still can?"
The flame burst into an inferno, raging over the gauntlet but going no farther up the man's arm. He aimed the hand at Seron, his eyes matching the glow of the jewel, narrowing slightly as he prepared to release his powers. He hesitated, cold logic fighting with the burning desire to strike down the man that had almost reached the river before the village. The flame slowly subsided as logic won over, and the man lowered his hand.
The other watched this without making a sound, the dark eyes full of nothing but obedience and a tense desire to see the man release his powers. The speaker turned to meet those dark eyes for a mere moment, and chuckled as he turned away from the direction Seron had been heading.
"No…not now. He will want to use you. He will want what you have. I will wait till he plays his hand, and then I will see to both of you." The man smiled slightly, his step slow as he walked away. "I know where you stand now, but I do not know about the other. Now…I will see to him."
The other man paused a moment before following. The cold eyes stared after Seron, who had already passed from view. The hands clutched the daggers fiercely, and then released. Making not a sound as he passed through the grasses of Hyrule Field, the wraith-like man followed his master.
"Yes, now that I know where you are, this will be all too easy. Once I hold both of you, vengeance will come swiftly to my hands." The man with the staff laughed loudly once, the sound ringing out across the expanse of the plains. "Now, the game begins."
Author's Note: ...It's been a while, I know. I must apologize for the amount of time it is taking me to post new chapters of this, or any, of my stories. Sadly, I've been having a major crisis recently, concerning my future and current career as a writer. I'm afraid that I can't promise the chapters will start coming out any quicker, either. However, I can promise that I shall give it my strongest effort to ensure that my works start coming out more consistently, and that I will actually manage to publish the next chapter of this story before another 6 months pass.
...Wish me luck.
~Wynn Pendragon